New Evidence Emerges of Influence Peddling, Ethical Lapses During Biden Vice Presidency

President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, arrive at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, N.Y., on Feb. 4, 2023. Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

New evidence has emerged of the Biden family’s alleged influence peddling and ethical lapses, according to records obtained by America First Legal (AFL) as part of its lawsuit against the National Archives and Records Administration.

The new records come amid AFL’s ongoing probe into the foreign business dealings of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, during the administration of President Barack Obama, when the elder Biden served as vice president.

During the Obama administration, the younger Biden was involved in planning for official state visits from countries such as China, Germany, and Turkey. The new documents suggest that the president’s son leveraged his involvement in such official engagements for personal gain and influenced his father’s meetings and calendar.

Among the new records are emails showing that then-Vice President Biden agreed to give a keynote speech at an event hosted by an organization whose board included Mr. Biden—who lobbied his father to accept the invitation via his scheduler in the office of the vice president.

Another newly revealed record shows that Mr. Biden sought to use the office of the vice president to provide a personal service to a former Rosemont Seneca business partner.

“These records confirm that there was no separation between Hunter’s private business dealings and the official business of the Obama-Biden White House and provide a window into the extent of Hunter’s influence in the Office of the Vice President,” AFL said in a statement.

Impeachment Backdrop

The documents come as the Republican-controlled House recently formalized its impeachment inquiry into President Biden after a probe turned up bank records revealing at least $20 million in payments from foreign entities to members of the president’s family and their business associates.

The payments, which came from such countries as Russia, China, Romania, and Ukraine, were found to have taken place during President Biden’s time as vice president and, in some cases, coincided with his trips to those countries.

Republicans have been trying to tie President Biden to his family’s business affairs, claiming that he lied when he denied any involvement.

President Biden recently called the allegations against him a “bunch of lies,” while the White House issued a memo disputing the charges and accusing Republicans of pursuing a “baseless impeachment stunt” to attack the president while providing no solid proof of misconduct.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House and to Mr. Biden’s attorney with a request for comment on the newly released documents.

The new evidence appears to further undermine President Biden’s claims of never being involved in his son’s business dealings and raises more questions about the payments made from more than 20 countries to more than 20 shell companies controlled by the Biden family.

One of the records, dated March 5, 2015, is a speaking engagement invitation to then-Vice President Biden from the president of The Truman National Security Project, whose board members included Mr. Biden and Sally Painter, a lobbyist at Ukrainian energy giant Burisma. Mr. Biden also once served on the board of Burisma.

Then, on March 7, 2015, Mr. Biden sent an email to the office of the vice president, for the attention of then-Vice President Biden’s scheduler, Kathy Chung.

“For scheduler. Please let me know if it’s possible. Thanks,” reads the email, signed with the initials RHB, which stands for Robert Hunter Biden, the younger Biden’s full name.

Then-Vice President Biden agreed to deliver the keynote speech after speaking to his scheduler, according to an email signed by Anne Marie (Person) Muldoon, who served as a general assistant at Mr. Biden’s firm, Rosemont Seneca, from 2009 until she joined then-Vice President Biden’s staff as an assistant in May 2014.

There’s no indication that then-Vice President Biden sought or obtained ethics counsel regarding whether it was appropriate for him to deliver a speech at an event hosted by an organization whose board included his son and other Burisma agents.

More Evidence

Another record obtained by AFL shows that Mr. Biden was asked by Truman Project board members in 2014 to pitch the Japanese ambassador on behalf of their private organization, at a time when he had access to official diplomatic channels.

While no funding was secured in 2014, another record shows that Mr. Biden would have had another lobbying opportunity while attending the Japan State Arrival Ceremony in 2015.

Several months later, the Truman Project managed to secure $100,000 from Japan’s foreign ministry, according to an email obtained by AFL.

Finally, records obtained by AFL show that Mr. Biden lobbied the office of the vice president to provide a personal service to Caryn Suffredini, a former Rosemont Seneca business partner.

The request was for then-Vice President Biden to autograph a photo of himself and the daughter of a friend of Ms. Suffredini’s.

Ultimately, the request was denied, according to an email sent by the scheduler, although it reflects the close relationship between Mr. Biden and his father’s office.

“Our critical lawsuit has revealed evidence about the extent to which Hunter Biden and his business associates used the Office of the Vice President—with apparent full knowledge of Joe Biden himself—as leverage for personal enrichment,” Gene Hamilton, AFL vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.

“This is particularly problematic because the records establish that substantial portions of the enrichment at issue were the result of favors for and connections made with foreign nationals. Biden first, America last, apparently.”

While the president has denied any involvement in his family’s business dealings, the House Oversight Committee has released more than 20 examples of evidence tying the president to his son’s business affairs.